French drone developer Delair has been named “Technological Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum for the year 2018.

The only French company to receive such an accolade this year, Delair is also the only provider of drone solutions to appear among the sixty-one companies of the selection.

“We welcome Delair in this diverse group of technology pioneers,” says Fulvia Montresor, Head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum. “Delair and its fellow pioneers are front and centre in shaping the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution and we believe they will be transforming society and industry in a positive way in the years to come.”

One of the world’s most experienced developers of drones capable of beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations, Delair was selected as an innovative company for its potential to “transform society and industry” and “shape the fourth industrial revolution”, as well as for its pioneering role in BVLOS flights.

Source: Delair/Youtube

Source: Delair/Youtube

The idea behind Delair’s first drone stemmed from President Michaël de Lagarde’s oil industry background.

With a desire to improve the process of pipeline inspection by digitising the terrain to detect the need for intervention, the company was founded in 2011.

Very quickly, the founders understood that the true value added of their solution did not reside in the hardware, but in the software and applications of data analysis, essentially images.

Now, its fixed-wing drone solutions and AI data analysis platform are marketed in seventy countries, having been deployed abroad for only two years.

Delair has more than eighty distributors and has seen its turnover increase by 80% internationally.

“Delair is honored to collaborate with other visionary leaders in WEF’s Technology Pioneers program, says de Lagarde.

“Aerial intelligence collected and analyzed by our drone solutions is making a difference in improving business efficiencies, providing unprecedented insights into the physical world, and helping solve critical environmental, agricultural and safety challenges that will improve our lives.”

“We expect exponential growth rates in the next few years.”

The French company also announced recently that it has received the Canadian government’s certification to operate its entire range of UAVs in Canada, following introduction to the Canadian market in a deal with Cansel.

Clients of Delair work in construction and public works as well as in agriculture and the geospatial sector.